


The Track

by YuriPirozhki (AceOfSpace)



Series: JJ Style Week 2017 [6]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Hobbies, JJ Style Week, JJStyle Week, JJStyleWeek, Music, Theme of King JJ
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-12-02 01:27:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11498883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceOfSpace/pseuds/YuriPirozhki
Summary: JJ liked to think that one day, he could realise his goal of skating flawlessly to a program and song that he’d put together by himself. That would be the day when he’d be more than just Jean-Jacques Leroy, the son of ice dancing’s power couple. He’d be JJ Leroy: Record breaker, history maker, and one of a kind. He was convinced that his new guitar would help him to get there.





	The Track

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt for day six of JJStyle Week is hobbies! Enjoy this little character study about JJ and his love of music! Also, make sure to check out the other works in the series that vnikiforov and I have put together!

Jean-Jacques Leroy got his first guitar at twelve. It was a Christmas present that came after months of pleading with his parents, promises to do extra well in his schoolwork and to never miss a day of skating practice. When he unwrapped it on that fateful morning, it felt like all of his dreams were coming true. It wasn’t particularly flashy or expensive, but for young JJ, it was the greatest guitar he had ever seen up close. It was _his_ guitar, electric with six strings, and it was perfect. He was convinced that in time, he’d be able to produce the world’s most incredible music, like the songs featured in his skate programs, and it would blow everyone away. He liked to think that one day, he could create pieces of his own and realise his goal of skating flawlessly to a program and song that he’d put together by himself. That would be the day when he’d be more than just Jean-Jacques Leroy, the son of ice dancing’s power couple. He’d be JJ Leroy: Record breaker, history maker, and one of a kind. He was convinced that his new guitar would help him to get there.

However, to get to such a skill level, he knew that he had to practice. While he wasn’t too versed on the makings of the world’s greatest musicians, he knew where a lot of them tended to start.

“Okay, so we’re starting a band.”

His guitar slipped over his shoulder, JJ had brought his seven-year-old siblings to the family garage, supposedly the birthplace of most rock and roll legends. Easily a foot shorter than him, Maxime stared at his older brother with wide eyes, keeping perfectly still as if awaiting further instructions. His twin sister, however, reacted rather differently.

“But I don’t wanna be in a band!” Dominique argued, her tiny hands curled into fists and her lips in a pout. “I can’t play anything.”

“It’s okay,” JJ assured her with a smile. “Neither can Max, but I can show you how to make a drum set out of those buckets over there. It’s what big brothers are for.” He saw his younger siblings exchange a look, but paid it no mind. He just hoped that they shared the same level of excitement as he did for his latest project. Then, perhaps maybe one day, they could get more instruments at home and play lots of songs together.

The bucket drum set idea turned out not to be one of JJ’s best, but it gave the twins some amusement for a short while. Neither of them were particularly good at keeping a beat; either that, or their attention simply wasn’t in the right place for the matter at hand. Also, JJ was quick to realise that he compose any decent songs while only knowing two chords. Still, he was no stranger to the concept of perseverance, and he knew that he would get better in time. He also became aware that this was a skill he’d be learning alone.

-

JJ started his first journal at fifteen. For a few days after he bought it, it remained boring and blank, but he knew that things couldn’t remain that way. His new therapist had been asking him to give journaling a try, to write his thoughts on paper and see them from a different perspective. Supposedly, putting his thoughts on a page would help with the anxious voice in his head; the pessimistic version of himself that would only say vicious and hurtful things.

It was difficult at first. He found the concept of the exercise a difficult one to grasp, thinking that writing about the world around him was ridiculous and futile. Not much changed about his environment from day to day; he was skate, do homework and eat with his parents. Talk of his senior debut would come up at the dinner table, and he would get stressed and hide in his room. He would recall figure skating greats before him like Viktor Nikiforov and Christophe Giacometti, somehow his soon-to-be direct competitors while being in a league of their own at the same time. He would hyperventilate. He would hide beneath his blankets and shiver, then he would sleep, and the day would begin again.

To begin his journal entry, he needed to rate his level of stress with a number between one and ten. It wasn’t often that he gave himself a number less than five, mainly because he felt like it was a lie to say otherwise. As far as JJ was concerned, there was always something that gave him reason to worry, and those were the things he put in his journal. He was concerned that he wasn’t meeting his parents’ expectations, or that he was being a poor role model to his brother and sister. He wanted to make sure he got top grades in school, for he feared an injury that could abruptly end his sporting career. He feared losing interest in what he loved, or not having enough talent to match his passion, or being ridiculed and hated by everyone around him. 

It became easier as he transformed his thoughts from passages of rambling into those with more structure. They morphed into poems over time, and eventually songs. He would sing them to himself when he was alone, putting his words to a tune as he strummed on his guitar.

JJ’s first song was a mantra he’d written for himself; a reminder that he was more than what other people thought of him. It was only a few lines, and there were only a handful of chords, but it proved to be a great deal of help. A year after reluctantly agreeing to his therapist’s idea, he realised that writing could help his state of mind.

-

Six years ago, he never would have believed where his first guitar had taken him. For the longest time, he had thought that his dreams of becoming a successful musician were simply that; dreams. Yet, eighteen-year-old JJ was in the sleek and shiny foyer of a very real recording studio, and he had to pinch himself firmly to believe it. The USB he carried in his pocket held the completed version of his first ever song, the lyrics to which he’d written during a darker time. _Theme of King JJ_ was written in a time of desperation, when he was unsure of who he was as a person, and what would become of him as he grew into himself. Of course, he had eventually come to realise that his individuality was one of the best things about him, and it was worth celebrating. He had achieved so much already at such a young age, and he had every reason to smile. He had countless supporters in his family, his friends and his fans, and he would do his best for them. Together, they would continue to do great things.

He took the recording home, immediately putting the USB into his computer and loading the track. It was surreal to listen to his own composition, his crystal clear voice singing back to him words that really _mattered,_ but it was wonderful nonetheless. It was different to the music he performed to his friends. This was entirely his own, one of the few things he had that wasn’t linked to his parents, his skating team, or his peers at school.

“Is that you?”

JJ looked sideways to see his brother at the bedroom door. He hadn’t realised as to just how high he’d set the volume on his computer, but based on his reaction, it seemed like Max could hear the song rather well.

“Yeah,” replied JJ. “You can’t tell from the lyrics?”

Max rolled his eyes. At thirteen, he had recently discovered sarcasm. “Yes, I can tell, _King JJ._ It just doesn’t sound like the stuff your band normally makes.”

“It’s ‘cause it’s different,” he explained. “This one’s mine. Written, composed and performed all by myself. I’m gonna use it for my short program next year.”

“Maman said you could?”

“I’m gonna do it anyway,” announced JJ proudly. “It’s important to me.”

“That’s kinda cool,” Max admitted with a nod, then there was a pause. “I didn’t know you wrote your own songs.”

“Yep! You could’ve been a musical genius too, if you joined my band.”

The younger boy let out a chuckle and disappeared into the hallway, with JJ only watching as he left. Still, he couldn’t help but smile as he reflected on the moments just gone. In a short number of years, something he’d picked up as a hobby had proven to bring him more joy than he’d thought possible. His music helped in times of pain, and in times of grief. He had his own personal anthem now, his mantra to help him remember everything good in his life, and for all of that, he had one thing to thank. For as long as he lived, JJ knew that he would be forever thankful for the guitar he got as a child, and to his parents for getting it for him. He would never have guessed that it would have impacted his life as much as it did.


End file.
